EDINBURG, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team made clutch plays down the stretch to create separation from UTRGV and held on to secure the 63-59 victory in game one of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union.
The Islanders (7-7, 3-2 SLC) got off to a strong start in a four-game road swing with the narrow win over the Vaqueros (5-9, 1-4 SLC) after nine lead changes and six ties. After a back-and-forth first half that ended tied at 28, the Islanders shot 60 percent in the second and led for nearly 18 minutes after the break. UTRGV cut the deficit to one point in the final 90 seconds, but A&M–Corpus Christi closed the game with defensive stops and a late finish to stamp the four-point win.
They shot 43.1 percent from the field overall and an even 40 percent from three-point range, while holding the Vaqueros to just 2-of-19 shooting from beyond the arc. A&M–Corpus Christi also won the rebounding battle 38–30 and outscored UTRGV 21–12 off the bench and 13–6 in second-chance points.
The game opened with early defensive pressure from both teams, as neither side scored in the first minute. UTRGV opened the scoring at the 18:15 mark to take a 2–0 lead but
Leo Torbor answered with a basket to give the Islanders their first points. A&M–Corpus Christi briefly moved ahead 7–5 behind
Sheldon Williams, but UTRGV responded with a short run to go back in front 9–5 at the 14:01 mark. The Islanders answered again as
Mason Gibson and
Kam Parker each scored to tie the game at 9–9.
The half would not be divided by more than a possession as Nicholas Shogbonyo knocked down a three at 9:31 to put the Islanders ahead 16–13, but UTRGV countered to retake the lead a couple possessions later. With 5:34 remaining, Shogbonyo hit another triple to give A&M–Corpus Christi a 21–19 edge. The teams continued exchanging baskets until UTRGV took a 28–25 lead with 1:29 left. D.A. Houston then knocked down a long-range shot with nine seconds remaining to send the game into halftime deadlocked at 28.
UTRGV scored first out of the break to take a 30–28 lead, but the Islanders quickly responded as
Cenker Evran and Williams helped swing momentum back to A&M–Corpus Christi. At the 16:51 mark, Gibson scored to give the Islanders a 35–32 advantage and Williams followed with a basket at 11:24 to push the lead to 44–37, the largest margin of the game.
The game remained within reach as UTRGV pushed back within one or two possessions the rest of the way. With 1:19 remaining, UTRGV got within one at 60–59 but on the ensuing possession, Gibson made a free throw to extend the lead to two with 55 seconds left.
After a defensive stop, Gibson sealed the game with a fast-break dunk with four seconds remaining, punctuating A&M–Corpus Christi's 63–59 lead and securing the Islanders' second straight conference win as UTRGV's hail mary fell short.
Shogbonyo and Williams led the Islanders with 11 points apiece.
Leo Torbor added nine points while
Mason Gibson finished with eight points and two steals including the final possession dunk to put an exclamation mark on the game. Yetna chipped in six points, two blocks and several pivotal offensive rebounds.
The Islanders will head up to Houston next, facing HCU on Monday at 7 p.m. They will continue to be road bound next week at East Texas A&M and Northwestern State before returning home Jan. 15 against Southeastern.
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